Ada's love
by LaurielS
Summary: A little mystery leads Aragorn to a larger revelation. Written for the April Teitho Challenge, "Mystery". Reviews and comments are welcomed.


**Ada's love**

Author's Note: This story was written for the April Teitho Challenge, "Mystery". Improvements for this story will be greatly appreciated! :) Reviews and comments are, as usual, welcomed.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything, just my own ideas.

**Ada's love**

It had been a few days ago when Aragorn had wedded Arwen, and these few days had passed by blissfully. Yet, it was this morning as he thought about Elrond's initial reaction when he found out about their relationship did he realized that the reaction was… unexpected, to say the least. He, Aragorn son of Arathorn, a mortal man, had stolen away Arwen's heart—Arwen, an immortal elf, favourite child of the great Lord Elrond, who had seen so many ages and taken part in so many battles. Between Elrond and Arwen, it would not be just a brief parting which most daughters and fathers endure as the daughter is married off; this was parting for eternity, parting between life and death, separated by not just the physical sea between Valinor and Middle Earth.

How could Elrond have endured it?

With that, Aragorn found himself pacing outside Elrond's room, wondering if it was appropriate to approach his foster father and father-in-law at this time of the day, in this manner. He felt as if he was back in the old days in Rivendell, when Elrond to him was akin to a stranger, and he was afraid to approach him. It was long since he felt it, and at that moment, he wondered where his courage was.

At that thought, he steadied himself, took a deep breath, and marched to the door, all ready to knock… only to almost knock into Elrond himself who had come to open the door for the wandering man to come in.

Aragorn muttered something about elven hearing to himself that Elrond promptly ignored.

"I thought you were never going to ask for permission to come in, Aragorn," said Elrond, as he looked at his foster son, who had jumped back in the nick of time to avoid an embarrassing collision.

"I'm sorry Ada," came Aragorn's voice, and Elrond resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. It had been long since Aragorn looked so worried. Yet as he thought about it, fear began to rise within him, as he dreaded that something amiss might have happened to him and Arwen so soon. He beckoned him in, and soon Aragorn found himself sitting on a comfortable chair, face-to-face with Elrond.

"My Lord…" Aragorn hesitated a little.

"Has something happened?" Elrond's heart tightened and his fear could barely be concealed in his voice.

"What?" it was only then that Aragorn saw that Elrond had mistakened his anxiety to be worry for their wellbeing. "Oh, no, just… there was always something that I did not understand." At that instant, he saw Elrond's face relax slightly, yet never taking his eyes off himself.

"When you found out about Arwen and I, did you really not think of stopping us?" Once that question came out, Aragorn's eyes quickly averted to the ground, wondering if curiosity had gotten better of him and he had overstepped the line this time. This topic had always been a sensitive one, and it had been agreed for many years since Elrond first talked to Aragorn about Arwen that this topic should never come out.

Elrond looked at Aragorn in front of him and was, for a moment, remembered of the child he was so many years ago. How quickly time had passed and changed the child! "My dear Aragorn," he began, "it would not be true if I told you that I granted your request with full willing. You, young as you were then, and even as you are now, will not understand the pain you brought me with your request. Just as you and your mother are separated by life and death, Arwen and I one day will too, although this was not supposed to be so, and I will have to live with it till the end of time." And Elrond saw that Aragorn bowed his head slightly, as he always did when he felt ashamed of what he had done. His heart ached a little and his hand reached out to caress Aragorn's face before drawing his face up to meet his eyes.

"But I love you, Estel Elrondion," he continued, and he saw softness and slight surprise lighting up the man's face, "as I do Arwen and the rest of my children. I would not have any of you suffer the fate of being forever parted with their loved ones. And so I granted both your wishes, painful though it may be to me, with the requirement that you fulfilled your destiny first, for I had high hopes of you, and I did not wish my daughter to become mortal for anyone less. Now that you have fulfilled your destiny, I am happy for both of you, my children," finished Elrond as a small smile appeared on his face, though Aragorn thought he saw pain veiled in his Ada's eyes.

"Ada…!" with that, Aragorn thrust himself into Elrond's embrace. This was his foster father, the father figure his younger self ran to when he got hurt, the head of his family that taught him values and modelled his character, the person who loved him so much that he would rather endure pain for him than see him pained.

His father. No matter what others might say, this was his father. His _Ada._

Tears welled up in Aragorn's eyes as he tried to control his own emotions. "I am so sorry to have brought you so much pain, and I thank you so much for all you have done for me. How can I ever repay you?"

At that moment, Elrond was briefly brought back to those years in Rivendell, watching Estel as a child running about in the gardens of Rivendell. Yet, Elrond knew that that child was a child no longer in the eyes of his people. It was time to let go. Time to let his children seek their own happiness…

"Live well and rule well. That is all I ask for," replied Elrond, as he let go of Aragorn. He turned, looked out into the city and beyond and gave a short sigh. "My time in Middle Earth is over, Estel. I will be leaving these shores soon…" Elrond took a deep breath, steadied himself, before continuing, "please, help me take care of Arwen. And take care of yourself."

"I will, my Lord," Aragorn replied. He bowed and started to leave the room. As his hand rested on the doorknob, he turned and bowed again.

"Do take care of yourself too, Ada," came Aragorn's voice as he left the room, leaving Elrond to his thoughts.

As he heard Aragorn's lithe steps down the staircase, Elrond turned to look at a small portrait that an artist had painted many years ago, when Estel was but still a little child, a new addition to their family.

_One day, Estel, you too will understand a father's love for his children._

—The End—


End file.
